Computer systems monitor various metrics, e.g. physical properties, utilizing various sensors and devices. A sensor is a device that detects or measures a property, and records, indicates, transmits, or responds to the detection or measurement. A metric can be weather related (e.g. temperature and humidity), health related (e.g. blood pressure and heart beat), transportation related (traffics accidents and traffic jams), or other types of metrics. Various sensor configurations may be employed to measure different metrics.
Sensors and associated sensor data related to the metrics are often employed in systems to support the operation of one or more physical devices. For example, physical devices often operate more effectively when supported by the appropriate metrics and appropriate frequency of receipt of sensor data correlated to the metrics. An active sensor can monitor one or more metrics and produce a metric value, e.g. data, to transmit to a hardware device or software. A hardware or software device utilizes one or more system resources when determining and processing a metric value. Hardware and software used in the requesting, transmitting, and processing of metric values has a finite quantity of available resources to handle the data. Due to the finite quantity of available resources, all metrics cannot be monitored continuously, and as such are subject to selection.